Jenelle Evans Talks Getting Back Custody of Jace From Mom Barbara: Graduating Is My No. 1 Priority Right Now

Teen Mom 2's Jenelle Evans opened up about her custody battle with mom Barbara Evans over her son Jace.
Credit: Robin Marchant/Getty Images

Those who have been following Jenelle Evans since her 16 and Pregnant days know that her relationship with her mom, Barbara Evans, no matter how GIF-able, can be strained. Babs took over custody of Jenelle’s eldest son, Jace, after her daughter had several run-ins with the law (try more than 10 arrests in five years).

Since then, the Teen Mom 2 star, 23, has been working hard to get her life back on track to be able to take back custody of Jace, 5.

“We’re trying to work together, me and my mom, to try to come up with a solution,” Jenelle told Us Weekly during a recent press tour in NYC. “We’ve been on good terms lately and especially because she sees that I’m just trying to get myself prepared for my future. And she sees that’s the most important thing to me right now, and I think she appreciates that a lot.”

“I’m so busy with school and my externship,” the medical clinical student said. “I’m trying to tell my mom, my lawyer, and everyone, I’m like, ‘Look, I know Jace is important right now, but, you know, my graduation is coming up in July.’ So I mean, that is just, it’s the no. 1 priority right now.”

The North Carolina native hopes to have a job working in a doctor’s office, urgent care facility, or a hospital once she graduates. Barbara would like Jenelle to be working full-time, but the reality star has other plans.

“I was like, I want to do part-time because I’m so busy with Kaiser during the week and I want to spend time with him,” Jenelle explained. “And then on the weekends I have Jace, so I’ll never have a break from anything. So I really just want to take that time to just spend time with Kaiser.”

The family celebrated Jace’s kindergarten graduation last month, posing for pictures together.